One Small Change
by CluelessMinion
Summary: A retelling of the events of Minish Cap, except with a minor twist of events. However, one little difference is enough to cause the retelling to spiral out of control into a different version of the tale!
1. Our Traditional Beginning

_A/N: Well, this is my first submission here on ! I wrote this several months ago and ultimately decided to post the first bit here to see if anyone would like it, so any feedback is appreciated! _

_I do not own The Legend of Zelda series, its characters, or its locations, y__et life goes on._

* * *

"Come on Link, hurry up! We don't want to miss the festival!" Princess Zelda waved frantically at her childhood friend in, a huge smile on her face. Link laughed cheerfully; glad that he could spend time with Zelda on a beautiful summer day. He had received a sword from his Grandfather, wrapped in bandages to deliver to the winner of the sword-fighting tournament taking place later on during the Picori Festival. Until then, he had a couple of hours to enjoy the festival with the princess of Hyrule. Zelda's long, smooth blonde hair flowed in the calm breeze, taking in the relaxing atmosphere. Link was wearing his trademark green tunic and brown boots, as usual. His hair was almost the exact same color as Zelda's, although nowhere near as neatly kept as hers. He had considered wearing a hat to cover up his wild hair, but could never find one that complimented his appearance. Both he and Zelda were in their pre-teen years: young, full of life and longing for fun. "Link!" Zelda shouted once more, "This festival is the marking of 100 years since the Picori helped the humans seal away the dark monsters! We don't want to miss another minute standing here!".

Link gave a quick wave to his Grandfather Smith before dashing over to Zelda as fast as his legs would carry him. "You look great in that pink dress of yours today" Link complimented her upon arriving. Zelda beamed back and giggled, grabbing her friend's hand and running off towards the town of Hyrule.

Every day the town was active, but today it was overwhelmingly bursting with life. Children were running everywhere, older townsfolk were gathered around something of interest, and beautiful music filled the air with joy. "I'm so excited!" Zelda exclaimed, "Where should we go first?". Link laughed and shrugged, unsure of what he would do first. "Ooh look at that over there!" Zelda announced and skipped over to a crowd of people. Link stumbled trying to keep up with her, ensuring the bundled sword was safely secured to his back. The pair visited many areas of interest throughout the day, including a retelling of the tale of the Picori, a few shops set up in the center of town. They even entered a raffle rumored to have fabulous prizes. Link was exhausted from all of the running around he had done, prepared to collapse.

"Can we sit down for a bit?" Link sputtered, breathing heavily.

Zelda , however, was still fueled by energy, "Just a bit longer, okay? Then we can sit".

_It must be because she spends most of her time in the castle doing princess things_, Link pondered, but ultimately decided keeping that to himself. A ringing bell was heard, which meant it was time for the raffle winner to be announced. The attendees all gathered around the large man on charge of the event, eager to hear their name to be called. For the first time that day, the town was completely silent.

The man reached into his bag, and pulled out a slip of paper, "And the winner is..."

"Hurry up!" somebody from the crowd shouted.

The large man's eyes scanned the townspeople gathered around him, "Hey! Don't tell me how to add suspense to my contests, okay?" he turned his attention back towards the paper, "The winner is...Princess Zelda!" he declared, ringing his miniature handheld bell as fast as he could. The crowd erupted with applause and minor fits of rage.

"You won!" Link exclaimed, putting his hands on Zelda's shoulders.

"I won?" Zelda repeated, blushing from the sudden attention directed at her.

The man smiled when Zelda approached him, "Congratulations! You get to pick from one of three fantastic prizes!". He reached into his bag again, pulling out a crimson gem and a heart shaped piece of jewelry "First off, we have this beautiful gemstone! Easily worth three-hundred rupees! Next up, a rare work of art that will look great on any girl!". Lastly, the man hesitantly pulled up a small, bronze shield about the size for a child. _I couldn't think of a good third prize, so I just bought this shield from the town shop yesterday_ the raffle man thought to himself. "Uh...there's a little shield you can pick, but I highly recommend choosing something else" he told the princess.

"I'd like the shield, please" said Zelda as soon as she scanned over the prize options, her cheerful expression unchanging. Everyone else had an extremely perplexed look on their face. A moment of silence passed.

"Why did you pick that?" a citizen burst out, "You could just buy that from the nearby shop for only eighty rupees!" The raffle man's head snapped to where the voice came from,

"Hey! Let the princess pick what she wants!" He leaned closer to Zelda, "With all due respect milady, please pick something else. The shield is a terrible choice".

Zelda still smiled, "No thank you. I want the shield".

The raffle man shrugged, handed Zelda the rusty shield, "Kids" he muttered under his breath. The crowd walked away, surprised by the princess' decision. The town quickly returned to its cheerful festival routine in a matter of minutes.

"Here Link, take this" Zelda said, handing Link the shield, "I want you to have this".

"Thanks Zelda!" he replied, a bit disappointed that she didn't choose the gemstone.

Zelda giggled in amusement, "It looks good on you!" right as she finished her sentence, the large bell in the town rang six times.

"Six o' clock!" Link cried out, "The tournament is starting!" a burst of energy ran through his body. Zelda sighed, disappointed that the festival was nearly over and followed Link off to Hyrule Castle.

For one to get from the town to the castle, they must cross the lush green Hyrule Field. Various colorful flowers were sprinkled about the field, adding to its beauty. Under normal circumstances, crossing the field was never a problem. For some reason, a short, round creature with stubby legs and leaves on its head was blocking the path! This creature was known as a Deku Scrub, its aggressive behavior being its most notable characteristic.

"No trespassing!" it glared at the approaching duo.

"We don't want any trouble," Link said, shaking his head, "We only want to get to Hyrule Castle".

"You don't want trouble?" the Scrub asked, raising an eyebrow, "Then scram!" it fired a seed out of its mouth at a blinding speed, hitting Zelda in the left arm. She let out a cry of surprise, rubbing he arm where the seed struck her. The Deku Scrub laughed and fired another seed, this time at Link. Link was ready, and raised his shield in front of him. Though rusty, the shield held together; the seed ricochet on the shield and hit the cruel Shrub directly in the forehead. The Deku Shrub keeled over fell face-first into the grass.

"You okay?" Link asked his friend, who nodded in reply. They walked onward towards the castle, hoping that they didn't miss the tournament.


	2. An Unexpected Result

_A/N: I'm uncertain whether or not I have to post a disclaimer for each chapter, so better safe than sorry._

_I do not own the Legend of Zelda series, its characters, or its locations, yet life goes on._

* * *

Much to Link and Zelda's dismay, the tournament was over by the time they got inside, but that was the least of their problems.

"You're late!" the short minister with glasses declared, glaring angrily at them. The minister had been impatiently waiting outside of the castle for the duo to arrive.

"We're sorry Minister Potho" Link apologized, grabbing hold of Smith's sword on his back and presented it to the minister, "I brought Smith's sword as the prize for the winner of the tournament".

Minister Potho snatched the sword and huffed, still angry at the young ones, "A strange-looking man named Vaati was the winner. The other competitors were no match for him".

The doors to the castle opened, revealing Zelda's father: King Daltus. He was clothed in red, proudly displaying the golden crown resting on his head. Although somewhat fat, he was a great, respected king. As usual, multiple guards were accompanying the king. "May the winner Vaati present himself to receive the grand prize?" Daltus' voice boomed. A man around the same stature of Link stepped forward. His skin was pale white; his clothes and hair were light lavender-colored while his cloak and cap were a dark purple color. On his cap there was a red gem located on the brim near his forehead. One of his piercing eyes was covered by his hair.

_He's kind of handsome_ Zelda examined the mysterious person in curiosity.

"Vaati, for proving your skill, you shall receive a fine blade and..." Daltus paused for a second, "You will also get to touch the legendary Picori Blade: The gift of the Picori to us Hylians to keep the dark monsters sealed away!" everyone except Vaati and Daltus gasped in surprise. Link could have sworn that he saw Vaati smirk for a split-second. Four soldiers appeared from the castle entrance holding a large chest with the Picori Blade thrust into the top of the chest; its sapphire handle was at the very top, facing downwards. The mysterious champion stepped forwards, steadily getting closer to the handle. When he was a few meters away from it, he snickered.

"You are easier to trick than a mindless Chuchu! That chest's contents are mine!" the mage cackled with delight.

"He's going to release the monsters!" a soldier shouted. Two of the guards charged at Vaati, spears in hand. Right before they hit him, a powerful force threw the soldiers away from Vaati and into one of the castle's walls, leaving cracks in the stone material.

The remaining two soldiers stood in front of the chest, spears ready, "Stand back, you!" they warned, trying hard to appear courageous.

The sorcerer laughed maniacally, "Are you naive? My power far exceeds yours! Perish!" a large sphere of electrical energy formed in his palm, cackling with static. Using his thumb and index finger, he flicked the energy ball at the remaining helpless guards, tossing them aside like Cucoos. The ball then directly struck the Picori Blade, causing the handle to separate from bottom of the blade! A large explosion erupted from the lightning sphere and the chest burst open! Monsters of all sorts flew from the chest: Chuchus, Octorocks, Stalfos, Keese and so many more fled their prison, grateful for their freedom. Taken by surprise, both Minister Pothos and King Daltus were knocked unconscious from the fleeing monstrosities. Aware of what would happen to them if action wasn't taken, Zelda and Link took cover behind some bushes, breathing heavily. The cries of the creatures eventually calmed, and the two young Hylians jumped out from the bushes.

Zelda spread her arms with a determined look on her face, "Vaati, I will not let you get away with this!" Link had never seen Zelda this upset was a brief moment of silent between everyone. Vaati then erupted into more crazed laughter.

His mouth opened wide, revealing sharp fangs inside, "You truly think I can be stopped by the likes of you? I thought the famed Princess of Hyrule would be smarter than this! To stone with you!" a dark ball formed in his hand and threw it at Zelda with all of his might. Link with shield in hand, jumped in the way of the projectile. _Wannabe hero...how foolish_ Vaati snorted. Link's bravery was wasted; Vaati's strong magic was too much for the small shield to handle, and the green-clad boy was tossed aside just like the helpless guards. The projectile continued to move towards Zelda; her fate was sealed. A strange sensation began to build up inside of the Princess. It was unfamiliar, yet soothing. Three things then happened so quickly, everyone was speechless. Right before the dark magic hit her, a peculiar sphere of yellow light enveloped Zelda. Next, Vaati's spell bounced off of the sphere like a Deku Scrub's nut hitting a small shield. Lastly, Link, who was still knocked out, was directly hit by the attack meant for Zelda! The Princess' eyes went wide with horror as she saw Link's body transform into dark, cold stone from the sorcery! In a few seconds, her best friend was now a gray statue: eyes closed and lying down in the grass. She wanted to scream. She wanted to say something. Anything. But she couldn't. The experience was traumatizing and her heart sunk. Her body grew weak, and she fainted.

Vaati glanced at the unconscious Hylians around him, "Pitiful" he muttered to himself. _Now to get what I came for_, he looked inside of the open chest and gasped, "Wha-what the-? It's not in here! There was nothing in there but a bunch of stupid monsters?" he turned away and sighed angrily, his cloak flowed in the wind as he thought hard._ I must look elsewhere for answers_ he concluded. He cast a spell that made his body turn dark and shadow-like before he vanished from the area.


	3. The Princess Embarks!

_A/N: I do not own The Legend of Zelda series, its characters, or its locations, yet life goes on._

* * *

Zelda woke up with her head pounding, lying on a soft bed. "Glad to see you're awake" a gentle feminine voice said. The Princess turned towards the voice and saw it had come from one of her maids. Sitting upright, she realized she was inside Hyrule Castle.

"Where's Link?" She quickly asked, recalling Vaati's assault.

"He's in the throne room," the maid replied flatly. Zelda jumped out of the bed and bolted out the door, eager to see Link

The red-carpet throne room was filled with dozens of Hylian soldiers. Link's grandfather Smith was there as well, along with King Daltus and Minister Pothos. Next to Daltus' throne was the young boy Link, now entirely made of stone.

"This is awful!" Pothos exclaimed in a state of panic, pacing around the throne, "The Picori Blade is broken, monsters are roaming about once more, that wicked Vaati is still at large, and one of our citizens has been turned to stone!". A simple hand raised from King Daltus silenced the cacophony immediately. The minister took a deep breath to help regain his composure, "Sorry, sir" he apologized.

Daltus turned his attention to his soldiers, "If we fix the Picori Blade, the sorcerer will not intimidate us any longer. We just need to find the Picori, for only they can repair the sword".

"Picori are real?" A soldier asked aloud.

"Of course they are!" Smith sharply replied, arms folded, "If not, how did the sword get here to begin with?"

Minister Pothos did a small jump in excitement, "What are we waiting for? Send the soldiers so we can find some Picori!"

Smith sighed and shook his head, "You're just as stupid". The short minister fumed angrily as Smith continued, "Picori can only be seen by children. Soldiers in the woods will only scare them off".

Daltus scratched his chin, "Then what young Hylian could we send off to the Minish Woods filled with monsters?"

"I will!" Princess Zelda proudly declared, leaping into the room. _Perfect timing_ she complimented herself. A short period of silence filled the large throne room. A soldier coughed. Daltus smiled. He started to laugh in his deep voice. Smith and Pothos quickly followed suit. Even the soldiers joined in!Zelda stomped her foot on the floor in protest, "I'm serious! I want to go!"

King Daltus rose from his seat and placed his hand on the young princess' shoulder, "Not in a thousand years would I ever consider putting my only child in harm's way. I'm not letting you go on this quest for your own personal safety. Please understand".

Zelda turned away, head held high. "I do understand! You've told me a million times 'It's dangerous to go alone', but Link is my friend and I really want to help him!"

Daltus glanced at all of his soldiers in the room, "Guards. Leave us" he strictly ordered. As the last one exited, the King gave Zelda a final warning, "I know you're stubborn, but think about the title you hold. Your life is far more valuable than Link's. Don't let it go to waste".

Once Daltus walked back to his room, Zelda huffed, full of anger. _He may not be royalty, but he's still my best friend! I at least have to try!_ She began looking around for a maid, easily finding one in a couple of minutes. Zelda requested a map of Hyrule for research purposes, not admitting her real intentions to the innocent servant.

Night had fallen. Hyrule Castle was filled with darkness and silence. Not a living thing was stirring, except for Princess Zelda, who had struggled to stay awake at this hour. She carefully rose from her bed, gathering the map along with the shield that had been in Link's hands. _Now for one last thing_ she reminded herself, cautiously sneaking off to the throne room. There it was: the broken Picori Blade, still behind the King's throne, wrapped in cloth. Zelda unwrapped part of the cloth to make a strap so that the relic could conveniently be slung over her shoulder. _Okay. I'm all set_ she thought as her eyes scanned the map, _so according to this, Minish Woods are...northwest of here! _The princess tucked the map away in the Picori Blade's soft container. The town outside the castle was just as silent. No sounds were made and any lights from houses had been turned off hours ago: the village appeared dead and deserted. Zelda carefully snuck through the eerie town and stopped at the border between civilization and the great field. A cool gust of wind swept through the Hylian's blonde hair as she took her first lonely steps into the field. Steadily wandering about, Zelda paid extra attention to her map, knowing her journey would be a lot more dangerous if she got lost. What surprised her even more was that there was not a single monster in sight; even in the open areas. _Maybe scary creatures need their sleep too_ Zelda giggled at her own sense of humor. She had been walking for about half an hour, but her lonely expedition felt like a quarter day's journey. Her eyes strained to stay open at the late hour, desperately trying to keep the path ahead visible. Zelda's persistence to save Link kept her trotting onwards farther away from home and closer to the mysterious forest. At last, a wooden sign stood tall at an old oak bridge that read "Minish Woods" across the partly-decayed material. Zelda exhaled in relief, thanking the goddesses for her good fortune thus far. A short slumping across the old bridge leading into the woods, Zelda sat down on a path of grass, breathing heavily. The lack of sleep and smooth texture of the grass beneath her made the young Hylian's eyelids heavier. She ultimately decided that sufficient ground had been covered and contently sat against a tree, putting the metal shield over her body as a safety precaution. Her breathing slowed, and Princess Zelda dozed off in a matter of seconds.


	4. The Bird-Hat

_A/N: __I do not own the Legend of Zelda series, its characters, or its locations, yet life goes on._

* * *

The young princess relaxed comfortably for a lengthy ten hours before her rest was rudely interrupted by the bright shining sun beaming down on her face. She uncomfortably shifted side to side in a futile attempt to ward off the disturbance; however the damage was already done: Zelda was awake. She stretched, rubbed her eyes and yawned (the normal routine) and her memory flowed back. _That's right...I ran away from home to try and find the Picori_. A sense of alertness hit her, and she fumbled around with the field around her, exhaling in relief when she found the Picori Blade still securely wrapped around her shoulder. Grabbing the small shield, she began to walk deeper into Minish Woods. "This forest is very pretty during the day," Zelda said to herself after taking a better look at her surroundings. Her jovial mood was slaughtered by the obstacle ahead: a red, four-legged Octorok. "M-monster!" She exclaimed in surprise, holding the shield close to her body. The hostile Octorok's attention was drawn towards the voice and spit a large rock from its snout at the young heir. The impact of solid rock on shield created a disturbing "CLANG!" noise that made Zelda's ears ring. _These rocks are much bigger than that Deku Scrub's, so this little shield can't knock them back!_ Zelda realized in despair. Knowing her chances of victory with only a tiny shield and a broken sword were slim-to-none, the Hylian Princess made a break for it, weaving through various trees and tall grass as fast as her short legs would take her all while dodging the speedy projectiles coming from the evil Octorok. The young princess eventually found a large oak to take cover behind and catch her breath, "Stupid heels...stupid dress," she cursed at the difficulties she had with running in her royal attire, "At least I lost that pesky monster!" she said, her sense of optimism still holding strong.

"You! Stop there!" A shrill voice shrieked; Zelda's hair stood on end. She slowly turned her head to the source and was shocked to see a green hat with two eyes and a bird beak! Zelda screamed at the hideous being before her and threw the metal shield at it, hitting the monstrosity dead-on! The bird-hat squawked angrily at her, shaking off the blow, "Hey, what's the big idea, Kid? I don't want to hurt you!"

Zelda blushed in embarrassment for attempting to murder an innocent creature, "Oh, I'm so sorry!" she apologized, getting on her knees and petting the bird-hat, "The forest is filled with monsters, and well...I've never seen something like you before".

The peculiar jade being sighed, "Of course you haven't. Anyways, my name is Ezlo, and I want to know why a Hylian is running around Minish Woods at a time like this!"

Zelda picked up Ezlo with two hands, holding him up to her face, "I'm Princess Zelda of Hyrule. I'm on a mission to save my friend by repairing the Picori Blade!"

Ezlo's eyes widened, "The Picori Blade broke?" he exclaimed in disbelief.

Zelda showed him the shattered sword she carried, "Some sorcerer destroyed I and released all the creatures of darkness. My Dad said that if we find some Picori, then they can repair it..." She paused to closely inspect some rocks and grass before looking at the bird-hat, "Say...you haven't seen any Picori around here, have you?"

Ezlo shook his head, "First off, the term is Minish. Secondly, you can't expect to find any _Minish_ while looking like that".

Zelda frowned and looked down at herself, "What? Do these robes and crown not highlight my status as Princess of Hyrule? Or do Pic-I mean...Minish dislike the color pink?"

Ezlo chuckled softly, "Okay kid, you're lucky I found you, otherwise you'd be hopeless on your quest. Consider this one of the best days of your life because I, the great Ezlo will aid you on your adventure!"

The princess stared at the bird-hat for a moment before replying, "Um...you don't have legs...and no offense, but how can you help me?"

Ezlo leapt up and down in the princess' hands, "I am _most_ offended by your judgment! I am by far the most helpful person you'll ever meet! Don't believe me? I'll prove my usefulness by finding a whole village of Minish for you within the hour!"

Zelda's face lit up, grateful for Ezlo's generous offer, "Oh thank you so much! I'm _really_ sorry for being rude to you back there!"

Ezlo returned a smile, "Don't mention it. So here's what you have to do: stand on that little tree stump over there" he nodded his head towards a very small tree stump with a tiny hole on the top, lying in an open area of the forest. T

he Hylian Princess raised an eyebrow, "That little stump? How will that help?" she asked aloud, staring directly at the object of attention.

Ezlo shook is head, "Don't question the logic, just stand on it and bestow me on your head...like a hat" he mumbled at the end of his sentence. Zelda set her shield down against the tree stump before standing on it as the green bird-hat had instructed. Grabbing Ezlo, she placed him on top of her golden tiara and patiently awaited further instructions. "Ok, Princess!" Ezlo announced, "Get ready for an experience like no other!"

Zelda looked up at her new companion, "Now how am I supposed to prepare for-" the last word of her sentence transitioned into an elongated scream when the ground beneath her feet had vanished in an instant! Helplessly flailing about as she plummeted towards a gaping hole, Zelda feared for her life and forgot entirely about everything else in that moment of terror. The plummeting Hylian closed her eyes and prepared for her untimely death...until she bounced off of something very soft! Zelda let out another scream of surprise while bouncing off of two more mysterious objects, her momentum being cut in half for each impact. She landed face-first on a solid ground. The princess remained motionless for a minute and came to terms that she was still alive before shakily standing back up. Brushing herself off, Zelda looked around at the strange place she had landed in. It appeared to be made of wood, and the mysterious things she had landed on were abnormally large pink mushrooms with white spots on them.

"It worked," Ezlo announced, quite pleased.

Zelda took the bird-hat off of her head and looked straight into his eyes, "Where am I? What did you do?" she asked, a small hint of panic was noticeable in her voice. Ezlo did not reply, and gestured with his head towards a hole in one of the wooden walls. The princess carefully stepped outside, and squinted when she was greeted by intense sunlight. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the change before catching sight of a breath-taking view: an enormous forest with trees that surpassed the height of Hyrule Castle itself! Zelda stared at the new environment; her mouth involuntarily hung open at the beautiful scenery, "It's...so peaceful here...is this where Minish live?"

Ezlo stared at her awkwardly, "Yes...this is where they live," he slowly replied.

Zelda gave him a funny look back, "What's wrong? Why did you hesitate like that?" she demanded answers from her new acquaintance. Ezlo cleared his throat before nodding at something behind Zelda. Still confused, she turned around and was greeted by the towering image of a rusty metal shield, at least five times larger than her! Zelda slowly reached out and touched it, recognizing the emblem on the front. _This is my shield I put by the stump before stepping on it..._ "You grew everything around me to make the Minish larger and easier to find!" she finished her train of thought confidently.

Suppressing a laugh of amusement, Ezlo smiled at the young heir, "Nope. I shrunk you," he admitted nonchalantly.

Zelda double-checked her surroundings again, her face turning pale, "You did WHAT?" She angrily yelled at the bird-hat and began to hyperventilate.


End file.
